Peacock bass is the common name in English for a group of closely related species of tropical, freshwater fish of the genus Cichla, native to the Amazon River basin of South America. They also inhabit the waters of Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela and some tropical regions the United States; these being Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands. Despite their name, these fish are cichlids, not basses.
There are 15 known species of peacock bass and two more ichthyologists have yet to name. Their common names vary greatly depending on the country, region, stage of development and local anglers. Below is a complete list of the taxonomic, binomial names for these cichlids, along with available English common names. Cichla intermedia (royal peacock bass), Cichla jariina, Cichla kelberi (kelberi peacock bass), Cichla monoculus (monoculus peacock bass), Cichla melaniae, Cichla mirianae, Cichla nigromaculata, Cichla ocellaris (butterfly peacock bass or butterly peacock cichlid), Cichla orinocensis (orino or orinocensis peacock bass), Cichla pinima, Cichla piquiti (azul peacock bass), Cichla pleiozona, Cichla temensis (speckled peacock bass, but three-barred peacock bass while spawning), Cichla thyrorus, Cichla vazzoleri.
